


Bipolar

by RobronSugdenDingle



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aftermath, Anger, Arguing, Bipolar Disorder, Couch Cuddles, Couch Sex, Crying, Depression, Dessert & Sweets, Doctors & Physicians, Domestic Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden, Food, Gay Sex, Kinks, M/M, Manic Episode, Minor Violence, Sex, Strawberries, Suicidal Thoughts, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 02:43:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18002294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobronSugdenDingle/pseuds/RobronSugdenDingle
Summary: It starts with expensive phone calls, a whole load of sweets, mind blowing sex and more sweets and food and finally, a doctors diagnosis to tell Aaron one thing.Robert is bipolar





	Bipolar

**Author's Note:**

> I've always had hopes that Emmerdale will make Robert bipolar because he simply fits into that category so...here's my wishes fulfilled into fan fiction! Leave a comment if you thought it was ok?

"Liv! Can you come downstairs?!"  
  
She stepped downstairs nervously, an anxious expression spread across her face. She had barely heard Aaron shout this year since everything seemed to be going amazing, but now, he just sounded genuinely pissed off. Had he and Robert gotten into another argument? Him and Rebecca about Seb and Ross?  
  
"What's the shouting for?"  
  
Aaron held up the letter and shoved it towards her face, pointing angrily at the surprising bill he had gotten through.  
  
"Are you seriously making calls to Asia? What the hell are you playing at? Prank calling Tokyo about their waterworks a good joke to you now?"  
  
"Wha-I don't know what you're talking about! I've never called Tokyo! Why would I do that?!"  
  
"Well I didn't do it! Robert couldn't have done it so you're the only person left. Remember, we pay your phone bill"   
  
She huffed and glared at him.   
  
"Well I didn't do it! Quit accusing me of summat that I didn't do for gods sake!"  
  
She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and started shoving it on with a frown. Aaron sighed and rubbed his temples.  
  
"Liv-"   
  
"I'm going for a walk!"  
  
And she stormed out and slammed the door. Aaron sighed and he took one more look at the letter again, reading the number. He scrolled through his contacts on his phone and pressed Roberts, reading the number and matching all the digits up with the ones on the letter. Sure enough, it was Robert making these calls.  
  
But why the hell would he be on the phone to...Tokyo's electric company for an hour?  
  
He needed to apologise to Liv.   
  
....  
  
Robert had finished his red wine with a smile and left the pub. He had a slight bounce to his step as he walked back home, only stopping because he saw Liv. He watched her stomp away angrily over to a bench where she sat down and huffed with her arms crossed.  
  
Robert walked over to her and sat down beside her.  
  
"Hey you. What's he done this time?"  
  
"Nothing"   
  
"Liv, I can't help if I don't know-"  
  
"Started accusing me of making prank calls to Tokyo. He doesn't even trust me. Everytime I say I never done something, he just straight up ignores the fact that I've said that and he starts yelling anyways. What's the point?"  
  
Robert rubbed her shoulders and he gave her a side hug.  
  
"I'll sort it. Why don't you head over to Gabby's?"  
  
"She's friends with that Leanna"   
  
"Ah. Well town then? Get yourself a drink? Here's 20"   
  
And he handed her a 20 pound note and stood up to head back in the house. Liv looked after him with her eyes wide. Did he just say...? Surely not...  
  
He did.  
  
....  
  
Robert shut the door as quietly as he could, determined to surprise his husband and was slightly upset to see that Aaron had already seen him. He was sitting on the couch with a letter in his hand and Robert knew it must've been the phone bill.  
  
"Alright?"  
  
Aaron sighed.  
  
"No Robert. I'm not alright. Have you seen this? I need to pay an extra 63 quid to our phone bill cause you called Tokyo? We're already struggling with money enough as it is. What you playing at?"  
  
Robert widened his eyes. Aaron was annoyed at him. Why did he call Tokyo again? The electric company had some sort of competition he's pretty sure...  
  
"No I just...it's good for all of us. I entered a competition"  
  
"With Tokyo's electric company?"  
  
"Yeah! They had a huge prize. And some of it included a new kitchen! Plus, it was 1 million yen! That's like...70000 pounds!"  
  
Aaron just looked at him like he was crazy. Why the hell would Robert enter a competition on the phone to Tokyo? It made no sense. Especially with the whole kitchen prize. Robert loved the kitchen in the house, it was the thing he mostly owned since he was the cook of the family.   
  
"Rob...we don-"   
  
"My name's Robert, Aaron. Not Rob. Robert"  
  
Ah. Maybe he was drunk? Robert had too many pints or something.  
  
"Ok...?"  
  
Robert crossed his arms and frowned and glared at Aaron in that way that made him feel like he was only two inches tall. What the hell had he said to piss Robert off?  
  
"Speaking of which. You need to apologise to Liv. She's real upset you know"  
  
"Yeah i know. I'll apologise later when she comes home"   
  
"No you won't. You'll apologise now cause she's upset"  
  
Aaron winced at that before feeling angry himself. Was Robert seriously telling him what to do? What the hell?!  
  
"Uhh, no. I'll apologise in my own time. Don't tell me what to do Robert! You dont control me and make me do something I don't wanna."  
  
Robert only glared at him and turned around to start heading out. What the hell? They weren't even going to talk about it first? Robert was always the one to talk first before making rash decisions.  
  
"Robert where you going?"  
  
"I'm gonna stay at Vic's tonight. I'll be home tomorrow if you're not as pissy as you are right now"  
  
What?  
  
Robert slammed the door shut and Aaron jumped. He felt like he was choking. He honestly felt like he was speaking to a wall because Aaron hadn't even got his point across but Robert surely did. He spoke to someone who had no intake of anything Aaron had said to him.  
  
And now he's leaving because they argued over Liv? He can't even stay in the same house as him because they argued over a stupid phone bill?  
  
Maybe Robert was getting tired of him. Maybe-no. He had to stop thinking of these negative thoughts so much. It wasn't good for him.   
  
He opened the freezer door and grabbed two of his microwave lunches he usually took to the scrapyard. He stabbed the plastic with a knife and shoved it in the microwave. Seems he'll be making dinner for him and Liv then.  
  
....  
  
Liv returned home with an odd look about her. Aaron raised an eyebrow and Liv handed Aaron the twenty pound note.  
  
"Before you get mad, just know that I didnt. I didn't drink anything, nor was I planning to buy any drink. I didn't steal any drink or-"  
  
Aaron placed her hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Woah, stop there. I didn't even think you were planning to drink...Why?"  
  
"Robert gave me this and told me to get drunk if I wanted-"  
  
"What?! Liv, he knows about your drinking problem. He'd never say that..."  
  
She widened her eyes. Was he not going to believe her again?  
  
"He did! He gave me a twenty an-Aaron it's just so weird. He's not acting like himself at all..."  
  
"Right...yeah I know. You promise you didn't drink?"  
  
She opened her mouth and breathed out the way to let Aaron smell for proof. He grimaced and backed away.   
  
"Ok, you didn't drink. But you do need to brush your teeth. By the way...I'm sorry about the phone bill. It wasn't you, it was Robert. He entered some competition thing over the phone"  
  
"Oh. What? Wait, where is he now?"  
  
"He's staying at Vic's tonight. Said so himself..."  
  
.....  
  
  
Aaron could hardly sleep when it was just him in the bed. He hated arguing with Robert, especially now that they were married and it hadn't even been a year yet. His phone vibrated and he picked it up, eyes squinting in the sudden bright light of his phone. He turned the brightness down and saw a text from Robert.   
  
'Open the door? Xxxx'   
  
Aaron threw the covers off him and walked quietly downstairs. He was only in a t-shirt and boxers and he glanced at the door where he saw Roberts shadow through the glass panels. He unlocked the door and pulled it open, waiting to see Robert.  
  
He only leaned against the doorway and Aaron widened his eyes because surely he must be fucking dreaming or something. Because...Robert stood there with his suit trousers on and his shoes on and...  
  
He wasn't wearing a shirt.  
  
Aaron yanked him into the house and shut the door.  
  
"What you doing you idiot? It's three in the morning..."  
  
"So? Do you really think I can fall asleep without you by my side?"  
  
Robert leaned in for a kiss and pressed his lips against Aaron's, instantly moaning into it with a low groan. Aaron pulled away to speak but Robert only started kissing his jaw, bending his knees to lower his kisses along the side of Aaron's neck, nipping the skin here and there.  
  
"Robert, no. I'm still ma-"  
  
Robert looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Speak later?"  
  
Aaron pressed his lips together and finally gave in.   
  
"Fine. Later"   
  
Robert grinned and kissed Aaron again, licking hard into his mouth and began guiding them over to the side of the couch. He left a hand on the back of Aaron's right thigh and squeezed, silently telling him to bend his leg. He did, and Robert pushed them both onto the couch, his hand disappearing into the front of Aaron's boxers.  
  
....  
  
The sex was...mind blowing to say the least. Aaron wished he could say that it was just like all the other times they had sex but this time...it wasn't. It was hard and quick and Aaron felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was suffocating but in the best way. God, it didn't make any sense to be honest.  
  
He and Robert kissed afterwards and although Robert seemed pretty eager for another round, Aaron didn't. Aaron shakily got to his feet and he clasped Roberts hand in his and kissed him gently.  
  
"Robert...I don't think I've got it in me for another one. Just...just bed yeah?"  
  
Robert actually pouted and he leaned in to kiss Aaron again.   
  
"Of course. Anything for you"   
  
Aaron chuckled at that and quickly dragged them both upstairs and into bed. He pulled the covers over the both of them and they fell asleep.  
  
....  
  
"Here. You hungry?"  
  
Aaron blinked his eyes open, exhausted from last night and he yawned and sat up in bed. Robert sat at his feet, legs crossed and he held out a small saucer with a bacon sandwich on top.  
  
"Robert?"  
  
"Here. I know last night must've tired you out"  
  
Aaron blushed and took the saucer from Roberts hand. He sat up straighter and felt Robert kiss the side of his head before sitting back in bed beside him. Robert grabbed his phone and he opened his mouth to speak when Aaron raised an eyebrow at the many notifications on his husbands phone.   
  
"Vic's called you at least eight times. Give her a ring back. She must be worried"  
  
"Nah, it's alright. She'll know where I've went. So I think...we all need a holiday"   
  
Aaron stopped himself midway of bringing his sandwich to his mouth and paused.   
  
"A holiday?"  
  
"Yes. A holiday. I was thinking Spain? Maybe you wanna go back to France? Liv can choose if she wants to. Or...we could really splash out and make another go to Vegas? Hmm?"  
  
Aaron scoffed.  
  
"As if we can afford Vegas"   
  
"Uh, yeah we could. Don't worry. I've calculated everything. I figure if we can take out a loan, we can then pay for a holiday. Then pay it back and start saving for other things, like the surrogacy"   
  
"Robert, we're supposed to be saving up for the surrogacy right now. We can't afford a holiday. Save for the surrogacy first and then a holiday. Ok?"  
  
Robert huffed, but kissed Aaron's cheek and agreed.  
  
....  
  
Honestly, Aaron had completely forgot about being angry at Robert until he saw Liv at lunchtime. He would've seen her in the morning but Robert was pretty eager to get another round in and well...Aaron found it hard to say no.  
  
Robert then gave him a kiss straight afterwards and told him he would bring them both back a posh brunch takeaway from Hotten and he left before Aaron could get a word in edgeways.  
  
"I saw Robert leave. Have you guys made up?"  
  
Aaron nodded and moved to grab the coffee presser.   
  
"Yeah. He really is sorry I think...I think maybe he just had a bit too much to drink last night. Or whatever he had..."  
  
Liv glared at him.  
  
"Well get it sorted. Roberts acting different and you know it. Even get it checked out at the hospital or summat. Whatever, just fix him?"  
  
She huffed and stepped out the house after slinging her backpack on and Aaron frowned before grabbing Roberts laptop from underneath the table and he began his googling session. He didn't know what to type so the first one was sort of just like...  
  
'Is it weird to have a boyfriend who speaks too fast?'  
  
And that was just ridiculous so he got rid of that and tried again.  
  
'Is it weird to have a boyfriend who has sex with you a lot?'  
  
Ok. Maybe boyfriend wasn't actually Roberts term but Aaron had a feeling that was what people mostly Googled.   
  
'Is it normal for your boyfriend wanting to spend a lot of money?'  
  
'Is it normal for your boyfriend to get easily angry at you?'  
  
He entered that and regretted it straight away when the first result came up a helpline number for abusive relationships.  
  
'Is it normal for your boyfriend to forget stuff? Or be confused?'  
  
That wasn't helpful.   
  
He tapped his chin and said fuck it and decided that it would all need to fit together in order for him to get his answer.  
  
My boyfriend is confused, wants sex a lot, spends too much money, has mood swings and talks too fast.  
  
He pressed enter.  
  
Results- 'Introduction to Bipolar Disorder'  
  
And Aaron tapped his chin and he sighed. Seemed this was a day to be in and do as much research as he could.  
  
....  
  
He read people's stories of talking about either themselves or someone they knew such as their family or their significant other. He read about some guy in new York who walked around naked whilst thinking he was Kanye West. He read about some woman who spent an entire day making pom poms out of wool and ended up with over 370. He read about people suddenly cleaning randomly, buying the most expensive jewellery and even some joining activist groups to fight for a cause they don't even believe in but do now.  
  
But...Robert couldn't be bipolar. He never seemed to show any signs until now and it's only been two days so...surely he's perfectly fine.  
  
It didn't stop him from picking up the phone though, making a doctors appointment for tomorrow.  
  
Just for extra security.  
  
Fuck...should Robert even be driving if he's...manic as Google says?  
  
....  
  
When Robert returned home, he had four boxes of food stacked high upon each other and he opened the door with his hips. Aaron was glad to see he was wearing a shirt this time and he shut the laptop over.  
  
"Hey you. Sorry for the wait. There was this asshole in line who demanded a refund but, why would you even want one when you don't need one because this place is amazing trust me. You like chocolate chip right?"  
  
Aaron blinked.  
  
"What? Chocolate chip?"  
  
Robert set the boxes down over the table, one on top of his laptop and Aaron just knew that non bipolar Robert would be going off his nut because of how expensive it was. He opened one box and Aaron raised an eyebrow because that did not look like brunch.  
  
It was lukewarm cookie dough, cooled down from the long journey and had Nutella spread out over the top of it.   
  
"Robert-"  
  
"Here. You need to try!"  
  
Robert grabbed the plastic fork that was wrapped in the Nutella covered sticky plastic paper and he unwrapped it before scooping up a bit of the treat. He hovered it in front of Aaron's mouth, like a parent would do to a child and he grinned.  
  
"Come on. Open up...it's delicious"   
  
Aaron opened his mouth and Robert fed him the spoonful. Aaron chewed on the slightly soggy cookie dough, but it was sweet and very good.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Its delicious. Robert I thought you were going to get brunch?"  
  
"I was. But then I found this desert cafe and I knew I had to get you some. You've always wanted to try cookie dough right?"  
  
Aaron didn't correct him by saying that he'd always wanted to try a taco but hey...  
  
"Yeah. Thanks..."  
  
Aaron supposed that the best thing he could do right now is keep an eye on Robert, keep him in his sight at all times and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Robert opened another box and Aaron was surprised to find that it was just a box of strawberries inside. At least they didn't cost much.   
  
Except...when Robert opened another box and found three tubs of caramel, chocolate and cream, he knew it must've cost a price...  
  
"Here. Isn't this romantic? You need to try the caramel. The sweetest thing in the world, other than you of course..."  
  
Aaron had to chuckle at that. Really. Robert grabbed a strawberry and opened the caramel tub before dipping it into the caramel and again, hovered it over Aaron's mouth. He opened and Robert pushed it it about halfway for Aaron to take a bite, smiling as he waited for Aaron to react.  
  
Aaron saw this and he swallowed it down with a smile and an exaggerated 'mmm'  
  
"Good?"  
  
He remembered reading about it. As if...there wasn't any contact..as if you were speaking to a wall.  
  
"Yeah, it's amazing. Look, Robert, you don't have to buy all this...?"  
  
He wished he could get Roberts answer, but instead what he got was a smile and then Robert pushed himself forward to meet Aaron's lips. He pulled away and just cupped Aaron's face, stroking his cheeks and his forehead and everywhere really.  
  
"Did you know...that a strawberry is the most seductive fruit in the world? It's because it's so soft that practically anyone can bite into it and the bigger it is...the juicier it is. It's why people use it to have a kinky sex life..."  
  
Aaron felt his cheeks burn.  
  
"Yeah...but...but you're not into that... are you?"  
  
Robert smirked and swung his legs around Aaron to seat himself on his lap, the couch squeaking underneath their added weight. Aaron made a noise in his throat and Robert only stared at him with that consistent smile, voice low and husky, reserved for Aaron's ears only.  
  
"I'm into anything really...as long as you're happy then I'm happy..."  
  
He slowly began kissing at Aaron's neck and Aaron bit his lip and stared at the boxes on the table. The other one wasn't even open and he wondered what that was.  
  
"Robert? You don-oh, y-you didn't have to buy the boxes..."  
  
Robert stopped and he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I wanted to treat my husband. Besides, I thought it would make our sex life even be-"  
  
"Its too much money!"  
  
Robert finally pulled away and he pulled himself off of Aaron's lap to sit beside him on the couch.  
  
"What? Are you serious?"  
  
"Yeah Robe-"  
  
"Aaron...why do you have to ruin it? Hmm? Ruin the fucking mood why don't you. Can't you just...appreciate what I'm doing for you? No, just worry about the fucking money when I'm trying to do something nice!"  
  
Aaron widened his eyes and he shot up to his feet. He opened his mouth to speak when Robert grabbed his wrists and he only seemed to be getting more upset with every word he spoke.  
  
"Honestly...everything I do, it's for you. Why can't you just appreciate that? Just smile and roll on with the times? Is it really that hard for you?"  
  
Aaron winced and sucked in a breath through his teeth.  
  
"Oww...Robert, you're hurting me..."  
  
Robert looked down at Aaron's wrists and he let go immediately. He kissed Aaron's cheek and he sighed sadly.  
  
"We need a break don't we?"  
  
"Wha-no! No Robert! No! We don't! Don't you dare-"  
  
"I'm kidding"   
  
Aaron slowed his breathing and he sighed.  
  
"I can't wait until tomorrow..."  
  
....  
  
Aaron had only one way to keep Robert with him since talking wasn't working and it seemed that his lips were the only thing that were. He dragged Robert to bed, making sure he ate which he didn't and had to put up with four hours of Robert fidgeting around and constantly moving on the bed.  
  
Aaron tried to make them both watch a movie but then Robert had insisted that they buy the new Spiderman movie they still hadn't got on TV and Aaron had to tell him that no, he was fine with plain old Star Wars.  
  
He tried and tried but there was only so much he could do. Eventually, Aaron fell asleep due to exhaustion and woke up two hours later with a half empty bed. He picked up his phone to see if there was any messages left behind and he saw none. He called Robert and cringed when he started asking for him.  
  
"Robert? Can you please come back? Where are you?"  
  
"Its a surprise! Look, I'll be 20 minutes tops. Love you!"  
  
"Robert! Can't you come back like now? Just...I...I really need you. In bed. Right now?"  
  
He heard Robert pause on the other end and then...  
  
"Ok. Be home in five"   
  
Aaron exhaled loudly and waited and waited for Robert to come home. He waited five minutes, then ten, twenty, forty, an hour...  
  
The door opened and Aaron dashed downstairs to see if that was him. Thankfully it was and he smiled at Aaron, carrying two plastic bags full of food and treats.  
  
"I'm cooking us a romantic meal tonight ok? It'll be the best thing you've ever tasted"   
  
....  
  
The meal was delicious and it did keep Robert busy for an hour and 45 minutes but Aaron knew it would've cost a lot of money. He knew that wine didn't come at a cheap price...  
  
Still, it kept Robert busy and when Liv returned home, Robert poured her a glass and grinned.  
  
"Want one?"  
  
She looked at Aaron with wide eyes and he shook his head.  
  
"Liv, I'll explain tomorrow. Uhh...why don't you stay at Mums tonight? Yeah?"  
  
She nodded and went upstairs to pack a backpack and left the house again silently. Robert narrowed his eyes and huffed, sipping the wine.  
  
"She doesn't need to be so rude"  
  
"Robert I'm sure she didn't mean to be..."  
  
Robert scoffed.  
  
"Just like she didn't mean to almost kill Lisa?"  
  
Aaron bit the inside of his cheek. No. Calm down. Calm down...Robert doesn't know what he's saying...  
  
"Yeah...hey, Robert I feel bad eating this all myself. Please eat something? You haven't ate anything"  
  
Robert rolled his eyes but opened his mouth anyway, expecting Aaron to feed him. He did anyway.  
  
Aaron stabbed a meatball with his fork and fed Robert it, waiting for his reaction. Robert most definitely exaggerated his response.  
  
"Mmm, that's amazing. I'm actually a pretty decent cook!"  
  
Aaron chuckled at that.  
  
.....  
  
They didn't have sex, but Robert insisted that the pair of them fall asleep naked. Aaron had snuck away Roberts house keys and hid them in his drawers, the new York story flooding into his mind. He also hid his own keys into his drawers after locking the door.  
  
Robert was more cuddly than usual, an arm wrapped around Aaron's waist, hand clutching onto his back and his other hand played with Aaron's nose. He had a finger stroking the bridge of his nose, down the slope and then back up again. It was soothing really and Robert just sounded so soft when he spoke.  
  
"You know...I love you so much..."  
  
"Yeah, I know..."  
  
"You're my best friend...and...and my whole life..."  
  
Aaron waited. He waited for Robert to say the 'magic' words. Say he cheated. Again. But...  
  
"I wish I had the courage to do what you did"   
  
"What? What did i do?"  
  
"You found a way out...and I wish I could do the same...but I can't cause I'm such a coward..."  
  
Aaron gulped and wrapped his arms around Robert, already crying into his neck.  
  
"Stop saying that. Stop saying all of this...I just...just want my husband back. Please..."  
  
....  
  
"You would tell me if anything's wrong, right? Oh, we here to get tested? Not that I don't mind using condoms and stuff but just imagine how it'd feel with just us. We'd be one together without any laye-"  
  
"Mr Sugden Dingle?"  
  
Aaron shot up from his chair and grabbed his husbands hand, dragging him through to the doctors room.   
  
"So, what seems to be the problem?"  
  
Aaron took a deep breath and glanced over at Robert who had one knee bouncing erratically.  
  
.....  
  
The drive home was quiet and they ended up making a lot of stops because Robert was getting way too handsy and Aaron nearly swerved off the road too many times to count.  
  
Bipolar.  
  
Robert was bipolar.  
  
The doctor told Aaron in private and all Aaron could do was ask for the cure. There's none. None at all.  
  
Although he was prescribed mood stabilizers after a load of questions and Aaron had been given a safety plan for Robert. He was told what to look for, to keep a constant eye on Robert without angering him and just...look after him.  
  
When Aaron stepped inside the house, he kissed Roberts cheek and told him to wait for him upstairs. He was supposed to keep him busy then that way, he could make sure Robert was in control of his own actions there.  
  
He saw a bunch of letters by the front door and bent down to grab them. He opened it and took out three other sheets of paper, quickly reading them.  
  
Three plane tickets to France for a week.   
  
Aaron wanted to cry.  
  
.....  
  
He was told about the low, the downfall and the depressive state Robert was going to be in. He wasn't told how hard it would be to actually experience it.  
  
He grabbed a mug of coffee he just freshly made and walked upstairs, passing by a sleeping Liv's room and entered his own. Robert, cocky smug arrogant Robert, the man who saved his life and gave no shits about anyone who dared to harm his family...  
  
That Robert.   
  
He looked so so small tucked underneath all the covers. Even Aaron's side of the bed covers were tucked underneath Robert, burying him like a caterpillar in a cocoon.  
  
The covers rose and fell ever so slightly and when Aaron set Roberts mug on his bedside table, kneeling down on the floor to look at his face, he only took in the details there and then.  
  
His eyes, so big and beautiful, full of a lush forest and clear blue lakes were blank and had lost its leaves and it's sky. He had huge bags underneath his eyes, ones Aaron hadn't seen since Robert had him tied to a radiator with a gun pointing his way.  
  
His cheeks were beginning to hollow from not eating...  
  
Aaron leaned in and kissed his forehead, using his palm to wipe away Roberts flat hair from his eyes. Robert curled himself up again when Aaron did that and he just stared at Aaron with that heart breaking look...  
  
"Hey sleepyhead. I've got coffee here for you...? Are you hungry?"  
  
Robert didn't answer. Just stared and finally closed his eyes, turning over to face the other way. Aaron sighed and rose to his feet, turning around to walk out the room.   
  
....  
  
The next day was the exact same.  
  
....  
  
And the next.  
  
....  
  
However, the day after, Robert did manage to motivate himself enough to move his own tongue and his lips.  
  
"Its your chance now..."  
  
Aaron poked his head up and he looked at Robert with wide eyes because god, he never thought his husband had the most beautiful voice in the world until now, even if it was hollow and empty and dripping in sadness all over.  
  
"What? What chance?"  
  
Robert blinked once and sighed as if he was exhausted just from saying those two words.  
  
"To run a mile"   
  
And a sense of de-ja-vu hit Aaron, reminding him of when he was just released from prison on bail from hitting Kasim. When Aaront told Robert to run a mile and he said...  
  
"How about...I take my chances. I love you Robert. You being bipolar doesn't mean I'll love you any less..."  
  
"You should. Love me less I mean"   
  
"No"  
  
Aaron found one of Roberts hands curled into a fist in front of his chin and he grabbed it, unfolded Roberts fingers to lace his fingers in his and squeezed.  
  
"I married you for better and for worse. Whether you get better or worse means that I stay with you forever. Until the end ok? Me and you. Always..."  
  
And Aaron saw that small twitch on the corner of Roberts lips and he knew he made progress.  
  
....  
  
Two hours later, Aaron hung up on the phone with Liv as he asked her for the millionth time if she had her toothbrush and to call if anything went bad. She made a new friend at college recently and she was staying with her for the first time so of course Aaron was worried. The Dingle's never really had much luck when it came to new good opportunities.  
  
He shoved his phone in his back pocket and heard a bit of shuffling from behind him. Turning around, his eyes bugged at the sight.  
  
Robert was actually up and awake and walking around. Before, he had only gotten up to go to the toilet across from their bedroom but this...this was amazing.  
  
Even though he still looked tired and his right cheek was pink because it was squished into the pillow he slept on, he was still up. Even though he wasn't actually dressed and he wore the same clothes he had been wearing all this time in bed, he was still up.  
  
"Robert..."  
  
"Hi...I hope you don't mind..."  
  
Robert pulled down the sleeves of Aaron's oversized hoodie that fit him like a glove and Aaron shook his head with a smile.  
  
"No. Not at all..."  
  
"Thank you..."  
  
Aaron ended up staring at his husband for another good while before clicking his tongue and went over to him and wrapped his arms around his body to cling on to the taller man. Robert hugged back gently and pulled away with teary eyes and yawned.  
  
"I'm still tired..."  
  
"Oh. Right ok. Uh, here, come sit down. You hungry? Thirsty?"  
  
Robert sat down and bent his knees up to his chest.  
  
"A large glass of red would be nice..."  
  
Limit the alcohol and drug intake.  
  
Aaron sighed and shook his head.  
  
"No...Robert...its best you dont drink as much. They can increase your ma-"  
  
Robert huffed and rolled his eyes with a smile.  
  
"Don't...don't start telling me what to do. Ok? I get it, you're my husband, we love each other very much but...please don't start controlling me..."  
  
"Ok. Ok, yeah. I know. I won't. I promise. But...get the wine another day at least?"  
  
Robert nodded.  
  
"Toast and tea available?"  
  
Aaron kissed the top of his head.  
  
"Toast and tea are very available"  
  
....  
  
He ate his toast and drank about half his tea before drifting off back asleep on the couch. Aaron was lying flat on the couch with one knee bent up as his head rested against the arm of the couch. Robert lay on top of him, his head tucked underneath Aaron's chin as his even breath hit his skin.  
  
It brought a smile to Aaron's face and he couldn't help but leave his hand in Roberts slightly greasy hair from it not being washed in a week. No wonder he was always demanding that he use his over expensive shampoo and has to wash it everyday.  
  
It was so quiet that Aaron was just able to hear Roberts whisper.  
  
"Aaron..?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thank you...for everything..."  
  
"Yeah well...you're not getting rid of me. Ever. I'll always love you...never any less just because you're b-and you better promise me one thing..."  
  
Robert nodded.  
  
"Promise me you'll never find that way out. You'll find others way first before choosing that one..."  
  
"I promise"  


**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
